rocks rocks rocks

alright.... i'm getting a new 29 gallon tank for and angel, platys, mollies, and cory cats. so, i was thinking of maybe going with stacked rocks and light planting with low light plants. BUT i can't seem to find anywhere that sells the kind of rocks i'm looking for. there is an old abandoned quarry (the people started digging and then they hit a natural spring... now its a large pond) that i think has granite in it. could i find some small rocks i there? anybody have any other neat aquacaping ideas that my angel might like? i have attached a rough plan, but its not exactly what im looking for. more natural shapes, not squared like in the plan, but thats trouble on paint. i have a better hand drawing that im going to try to scan in. i really have no experience with plants so i was going to use the rocks as a natural centerpiece and a way to add some privacy with just a few easy plants to start. any other ideas/suggestions? i was also going to try to make the rock stack sorta thin so there is space behind it for my angel to swim around in. also, can concrete (like concrete edging stones) be used in aquariums? oh! also... substrate will be pool filter sand (i think).

Attached Files:

It sounds really good. You have a really good inspiration, very natural. As the rocks are concerned, I only purchase rocks from my LFS to ensure that they don't create any chemical imbalances in my tank.

i am so happy! i found out i have a nice little place that sells natural rock like 5 minutes from my house! i have switched over to river rocks (i like their size/round shape better) and they have lots of color variation. (great mix of brown, grey and black) as well as different "patterns" (speckled, veiningd, solid, etc.) to make the tank more intersting. i have a neighbor that used their river rocks in an outdoor pond without problems, so i dont think chemicals will be a problem. i also picked up some aquarium safe silicone, and will be getting the rocks as soon as it stops raining!! haha yay! excited!

izzasy, my lfs doesnt sell rocks... or else i would likley get them there.

LFSs charge a lot more money for the same rocks that you can get at a garden center. River rocks are just fine for your tank, I've used them before in several tanks. Are you going to use the silicone to glue the rocks together? My major complaint about the river rock is that the smooth, rounded shapes made it challenging to stack. Silicone would take care of that for sure, just make sure to let it cure properly before adding it to the tank.

As I understand it, once there is no "smell" from the silicone it should be cured and safe enough.

Not trying to interfere here, but one problem with stacking rocks, detritus can build up behind, under and between the rocks. A way around that problem is to use a power head aimed at the stack to keep the water flowing through it.

My angels seem to like swimming in/among the plants and not really in the rock stacks. :;dk

Your 29G should be tall enough for plants like water onion, which resemble the long thin leafed plants in your drawing.

Once you fine tune your rock stack plan, anubia are pretty and can be gently wedged between the rock. They resemble the leafy green plants in your drawing.

Java fern (microsorum pteropus) are another nice plant that can be tied to rocks or other ornaments in the tank.

The plants in your drawing that have the "arrow head" leaf look are similar to tiger lotus (nymphaea lotus).

I'm glad you aren't using concrete. I don't think it is a safe material to use in the aquarium, but I could be wrong...

Yes, please post picts of your tank when you are ready. It sounds like a nice plan! alicem

thanks alicem! i was hoping to maybe have the rocks to where i could lift them out of the tank and wash them off in the bathtub maybe once a month. i really don't want to do anything to mess with the bio cycle, but that may be a way to keep the detritus out. i dont know if that is a good idea or not. i think im going to have to figure out a way to make the rocks where i can lift the entire stack. im afraid they will be REALLY heavy, but hope that maybe i can make the stack light enough, or i have just wasted the past week (started cycling, it will be a week by the time i get the rocks) as for the angels, i reaserched that, and have revised my rock plan a little so the stack is more "angel friendly" (more like a rock column in the middle rather tank a long setup i think. maybe arch-like so the angel can swim through the rocks easier) also my tank will just has ONE angel, and i think the livebearers would really like the rocks.

Lovin' this thread. Can you post a pic of the river rocks when you get them? I'm only familiar with smaller rocks and I think you're getting some bigger ones, I'd love to see them. Thanks, if you can do it.